American Athletic Conference: Post-spring 2017 power rankings

Navy is one of the few FBS schools around the country that doesn’t hold a formal spring game. The Midshipmen did, though, decide to use all 15 available practices over the spring after scaling back the number in recent years. Ken Niumatalolo also brought Chip Kelly to town to offer guidance and counsel over the spring, and the Midshipmen will look to rebound after sitting on the cusp of contending for the Group of Five’s bid to a New Year’s Six bowl last season.

For the Midshipmen, the key was managing to get new players up to speed while avoiding injuries. Last year Navy lost its top two quarterbacks, Tago Smith and Will Worth, who were both looking to replace longtime starter Keenan Reynolds. Now the Middies will rely on Zach Abey, who solidified his starting position in the spring.

Linebacker should also be a position of relative strength, as a unit that was young in 2016 returns with more experience. While they might have a hard time returning to the conference championship game in a loaded West division, Navy still has a shot in the American but will have little margin for error.